London Design Festival returns for the 16th year in 2018, celebrating 10 years at the V&A as the official Festival hub. London will be transformed with an inspiring programme of landmark projects, installations and events from 15-23 September 2018.

London Design Festival’s vision is to celebrate and promote London as the design capital of the world. In 2017, the Festival welcomed a record-breaking 450,000 individual visitors from over 75 countries. These visitors contributed to an overall 991,000 visits to London Design Festival events with 150,000 people passing through Broadgate each day having the opportunity to see Landmark Project Villa Walala. In addition, London Design Festival helped drive a total of 173,250 visits to the V&A over the Festival period with 22% of those surveyed saying they had never visited the museum before and were driven there by the Festival. Flynn Talbot’s Reflection Room and Ross Lovegrove’s Transmission installations were particularly popular.

London Design Festival Director, Ben Evans says “London and Design go hand in hand. It is part of our story. London Design Festival is a platform for 100s of design stories to be told. Each of them talks to an expanding audience hungry for design ideas and enjoying the quality and diversity of what’s on offer. It all confirms London’s status as the global centre of design."

For the nine days of the Festival, visitors to the V&A will explore a range of special displays and installations throughout the museum, complemented by an extensive programme of events, daily tours, and workshops from Global Design Forum, which in 2017 drew 45 speakers from 13 countries, and 2,800 visitors.

Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A says: “This year’s programme is bigger and more ambitious than ever, and presents a unique opportunity for leading designers to engage with and respond to the V&A’s world-class collections of art, design and performance. London Design Festival occupies a vital role in London’s thriving design sector, reaffirming London’s position as the world’s leading global design capitals.”

London Design Festival will launch a series of city-wide commissions and installations. Returning for their fifth London Design Festival is The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), with a playful, ambitious and immersive Tulipwood structure, which will be the first installation ever to be located in the new Sackler Courtyard at the V&A.

The Festival receives support from the Mayor’s Office and is delighted to continue its long-standing partnership with British Land as Headline Partner.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “London Design Festival is a fantastic event which brings together designers from across the globe and demonstrates the capital’s position as a powerhouse for the creative industries. London is known for its creativity and continues to attract the best companies and talent from around the world. I’m delighted to support London Design Festival, which shows that London is open to great ideas, innovation and people from all backgrounds.”